The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation in the Relationship between Maternal Mentalization and Child Resilience

Introduction: Resilience, which is negatively associated with psychological disorders, is mainly shaped during childhood and is greatly affected by parents. Previous studies have shown that maternal mentalization is linked to child emotion regulation, and emotion regulation is confirmed to be correlated with resilience in children. In addition, some studies have shown that mothers’ mentalization is negatively correlated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children. However, no study has examined the influence of maternal mentalization on children’s resilience. We hypothesized that mothers’ higher mentalization increases their children’s resilience, both directly and via the mediating role of emotion regulation. Method: We used convenient sampling to test our hypothesis and gathered data from ۳۶۲ mothers with ۲ to ۱۲ years old children. The data were analyzed by a zero-order correlation and Structural Equation Model (SEM). Results: According to the findings of the present study, the results confirmed our hypothesis. Conclusion: We can use these findings to design mentalization-based interventions to establish resilience in children, preventing them from developing mental health conditions

Keywords:

Resilience , Mentalization , reflective functioning , emotion regulation , parenting